First Cabinet of Jan Smuts
# First Cabinet of Jan Smuts

Gen. Jan Smuts became Prime Minister, after Louis Botha's death in September 1919. In the general election of 1920, with 134 seats elected to the lower house, the South African Party led by Jan Smuts was ahead by three seats against the National Party (44 seats). Both parties then found themselves forced to form alliances with third parties (unionists and labour) to form the new government. The South African Party was quick to form an alliance with the pro-British Unionist Party (25 seats) and Jan Smuts was reappointed prime minister. Shortly after in the same year, the Unionists agreed to join the South African Party and early general elections were held in February 1921.

## Cabinet

| Post | Minister | Term | Term | Party |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Prime Minister | Gen. Jan Smuts | 1919 | – | SAP |
| Minister of Native Affairs | Gen. Jan Smuts | 1919 | – | SAP |
| Minister of Agriculture | The Hon. F.S. Malan MP | 1920 | 1921 | SAP |
| Minister of Defence | The Hon. Hendrik Mentz MP | 1919 | – | SAP |
| Minister of Education | The Hon. F.S. Malan MP | 1910 | 1921 | SAP |
| Minister of Finance | The Hon. Henry Burton MP | 1920 | – | SAP |
| Minister of Public Health | The Hon. Thomas Watt MP | 1919 | 1921 | SAP |
| Minister of Interior Affairs | The Hon. Thomas Watt MP | 1919 | 1921 | SAP |
| Minister of Justice | The Hon. Nicolaas de Wet MP | 1913 | – | SAP |
| Minister of Lands and Irrigation | The Hon. Hendrik Mentz MP | 1916 | 1921 | SAP |
| Minister of Mines and Industry | The Hon. F.S. Malan MP | 1912 | – | SAP |
| Minister of Posts and Telegraphs | The Hon. Jacobus Arnoldus Graaff MP | 1920 | 1921 | SAP |
| Minister of Public Works | The Hon. Jacobus Arnoldus Graaff MP | 1920 | 1921 | SAP |
| Minister of Railways and Harbours | The Hon. Henry Burton MP | 1912 | 1921 | SAP |

## Sources

* "Geocities – South Africa". Geocities (Web Archive). Archived from the original on 16 October 2007. Retrieved 16 October 2007.
